[scandium]

Originally Posted by NEON DEOM

The Nukes used on Japan in 1945 were firecrackers. Those were atom bombs. Not even close to the H bombs of today.

Convincing people that you can win a nuclear exchange is just ludicrous. It will not be the blast that will kill most people. It will be the radiation and nuclear winter that will send this planet into a new dark age.

Agreed. Presumably they are not talking about an actual 'exchange' though, but rather a one sided nuclear volley where a nuclear power uses its nukes on a non-nuclear equipped country. And the only defence to that scenario is to preventively arm yourself with enough nukes to ensure you can deliver a MAD response, which would also likely be sufficient to be cataclysmic for all mankind.